Government & Utilities

Municipal Wireless Networks

In many cases, the cost and poor connectivity of municipal wireless networks using the existing 2.4GHz WiFi band have been unable to support a workable business model for many government and privately owned networks.  White spaces channels offer significantly better range and building penetration than the 2.4GHz band, which should lead to lower capital and operational expense (due to the lower number of access points required to cover a given area) as well as better end user connectivity due to better propagation and building penetration characteristics.  Past projects deemed too costly or unreliable to be completed or pursued may find a second chance in the white spaces band.
 

Schools and Universities

There are numerous white spaces applications that schools and educational institutions in both rural and urban settings could leverage to benefit their students, administrators and faculty.  Wireless bandwidth will help schools deliver a richer and more stimulating learning environment.

Video conferencing can help teachers and administrators be more productive.  Resources and expertise can be shared with more students or staff through video streaming via wireless broadband links.  Demonstrations, experiments and lectures can be shared across multiple classrooms to save costs and share with remote classrooms, outbuildings or temporary structures without the need to run costly wire or cabling. 

Students can also benefit from reliable Internet and online resource access on personal or school own computers. Facilities management and security can also use White Space spectrum for communications, security monitoring and video both inside and outside of the classrooms.
 

Point-to-Point and Back-haul Links

Although white spaces are being primarily positioned for use in wireless access networks, it also can function well in point-to-point and backhaul applications.  Unlike higher microwave frequencies typically used for these links, white spaces frequencies offer the potential for very long range links.  This could be highly desirable for rural or remote connectivity between buildings, cell sites or emergency response command centers. Maximum data rates will depend on number of white spaces channels available, as well as equipment deployed and total distance of the links.

Infrastructure Monitoring and Remote Control

Smart Grid and Advanced Metering  Infrastructure (AMI) require cost-effective wireless communications.  White spaces spectrum may provide some of the frequencies needed to build and operate these initiatives.  Utilities that have less ambitious infrastructure goals could leverage this band for  Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) and remote control applications.  Water meters, valves,  switches and pumps controls continue to utilize wireless networks for communications and are similarly capable of benefiting from the availability of white spaces wireless capacity.